Lawyers asked to pick junta

Press, 28 February 1980, Page 8

Lawyers asked to pick junta

NZPA Paramarico, Surinam Two lawyers from a small Left-leaning party _ were named yesterday to pick the candidates for a . civilian junta by the sergeants who took control of the South American country of Surinam. In a televised broadcast, the sergeants also warned the population to maintain order. The broadcast included film clips of offenders who were said to have been beaten by soldiers as punishment for looting, raping, and murdering during turmoil accompanying Tuesday.’s coup. The Prime Minister (Mr Henck Arron) and most of his Cabinet remained in hiding. The broadcast began with a statement from Mr Arron’s Deputy Prime Minister (Mr

Olton Van Genderen), who : had earlier been reported to i be under arrest. Mr Van : Genderen handed over control to the new authorities and urged the populace to ; accept their rule. • Then Sergeant Lauren Neede, vice-president of the Soldiers’ Union, in whose name the sergeants had seized power, announced that ; the union had called on the lawyers, Mr Edy Bruma and Mr Franoklin Leeflang, to form a civilian junta. Both have been associated with the Party of the National Republic, a small group that now has no rep- ■ resentation in Parliament but ' which had been in the Left wing of Mr Arron’s first coalition Government when Surinam became independent i from the Netherlands in ■ 1975.